Chapter 23

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

“Well, well, well, if it isn’t the most beautiful real estate agent Whale Harbor has ever seen.”

Lori, her back to her office door, smiled but didn’t turn around. “Watch yourself there, mister,” she said. “I’m engaged, I’ll have you know.”

“Yeah, to the luckiest guy on the planet.”

She turned then to see her fiancé grinning at her, looking handsome and wonderful as ever. He leaned in close to give her a quick peck hello.

“Hey there, gorgeous,” he greeted. “You just about all wrapped up for the day?”

She waved the phone she held in her hand. “Yeah, just about. I was sending a quick little congratulations message to Monica Watson, now that she’s had a few days to settle in with her new baby. The girls report that baby Rhea is perfection, and she and her mama are both healthy, which is all anyone can ask for.” She scrunched her nose in Hudson’s direction. “Although, if I wanted to ask for one more thing, it would be a baby picture, so I’m trying to gently hint that I would like to see one without pressuring her.”

“Yeah, you’ve got that covered with Marty,” he teased. Lori made a face at him, but didn’t deny it. She couldn’t go too long without her ‘baby Trevor pic’ fix or Marty got some gentle, but insistent requests. Lori wasn’t sheepish about it in the least. He was, after all, her first grandbaby.

She didn’t need a photo of Trevor right this minute, however, as they were headed over there for dinner with the Jamesons and Rick and Darla just as soon as she finished up here. Rick had caught some fish that morning that he had dressed and was bringing over, while Darla had put together a side salad and Hudson had picked up dessert. It was a joint excuse to spend time with the newest member of their family and to take some cooking duties off the new parents’ plates.

“I won’t be shamed for my grandmotherly devotion,” Lori told Hudson archly as she quickly hit send on her text. There might have been a slight overabundance of exclamation marks in her message, but she couldn’t help herself. She was just so excited for her daughters’ friend. A new baby anywhere was cause for celebration in Lori’s opinion.

“Nor should you be,” Hudson agreed with mock sternness. “I saw Gabrielle and Thomas when I was picking up the cake at Harvest Grocery Store, and they looked like they were practically over the moon.” Braden’s mother and stepfather were first time grandparents too.

“Ooh, I should send a congratulations message to Gabrielle too,” Lori said. “That’ll wait until after dinner though. I’m ready to head out if you are.”

“Yeah, let’s go.” He offered her his arm, and Lori blushed, just like she did every time he pulled out one of those old-school, gentlemanly moves… which was, she knew, precisely why he kept doing it.

They chatted idly as they got into Hudson’s car. Or they did for the first few minutes, at least, because they were less than halfway along the short drive to Marty’s house when Hudson got conspicuously quiet.

Lori frowned. “Are you okay, sweetheart?”

He jolted like she’d shocked him out of deep thought. “Yeah. Yeah. I just… do you mind if we make a detour?”

“Of course not,” she said, baffled and not a little concerned.

But as soon as she answered him, Hudson seemed to relax. He pulled away from the center of town and down a road to one of the oldest sections in Whale Harbor. They drove to a neighborhood where the houses were spaced a bit further apart.

Lori recognized where they were heading a minute or so before they arrived. She’d long thought of this property as the Aguirre house, even though the Aguirres, a sweet elderly couple, had passed away when Marty and Darla had been in elementary school. It had passed through the late couple’s children for a little while, although when none of them wanted to live in the house, it had been sold and then used as a rental property. Now, however, it appeared to be for sale again, if the sign on the front lawn had anything to say about it.

She frowned. Wasn’t that one of Hudson’s signs…?

“You’re selling this house?” she said. Despite herself, she felt a little wounded. She loved this house, and the last time it had come up for sale, she’d been too junior a realtor to get to handle it. She was pretty sure she’d even mentioned to Hudson that she loved this house, so it stung that he hadn’t even mentioned the listing to her.

“Kind of,” he answered mysteriously. “Come on.”

She reminded herself that she loved and trusted Hudson and she kept judgment in reserve as she followed him up the sloping green lawn toward the Queen Anne-style house. She let herself get lost in that feeling she got whenever she was in a truly beautiful home.

Queen Anne houses were most famous in California, but Lori always liked to remind buyers, whenever she got to sell one of the historic properties, that they’d started right here in Rhode Island. There was something about the asymmetry of them that felt classic to her, like the best of the many influences that New England had to offer. This house was made of red brick, with details done in gray stone, and Lori had always wondered if the tiny, tucked away balcony up on the third floor connected to an attic or one of the bedrooms.

It seemed that she was about to find out.

Hudson pulled the key from his pocket and let them in. The front floor was echoing, as most houses were when they were emptied, but the bones of the place made it easy to see how she would decorate it. That front space that was shaped like a half-turret would be a breakfast nook, and she’d take the doors off the big walk-in pantry to let in more light. Or, maybe she wouldn’t remove them. This was a historic house, after all. But she’d leave them open to make the spacious kitchen seem even grander, and to emphasize that, despite the spread-out nature of the place, there were still cozy corners to be found.

She was so busy decorating in her mind that it took her a moment to realize that Hudson was watching her, unmistakable fondness on his face.

“Don’t be fooled, mister,” she told him sternly. “Just because I’m excited to finally get in this house doesn’t mean you’re not going to face a lot of questions about how you got this listing without me knowing.”

Her fiancé beamed which was, Lori felt, the wrong reaction to her very good point.

“It was extremely hard to keep it from you,” he said affably, making her gasp. The gall of the man! Admitting he was keeping secrets!

“That’s probably why you shouldn’t hide things from the woman you’re going to marry,” she sniffed. “Especially when that woman is a very talented real estate agent who could help you get the best sale possible out of a gorgeous old place like this.” Even though he was a rude secret-keeper, she decided to be benevolent. “But I suppose I can overlook the lapse just this once, Hudson Boone. I will still help you sell this place.”

He shook his head. “Sorry, Lor. That’s a great offer, but the place is already sold.”

She made a dismayed sound. Well, she shouldn’t be surprised. Places like this always got snapped up.

“Oh,” she said softly. At least she’d gotten a look inside, she told herself.

Hudson didn’t seem to notice her disappointment. “Yeah, there was a really motivated buyer. He said he loved a woman who loved this style of house.”

“That’s a nice story, but in fairness, everyone loves this style of house,” Lori pointed out.

“Yeah, but this guy really loves the woman. And she really loves this house.”

It was something in the sly way he glanced at her sidelong that made her instincts start to prick. And then she realized he’d said the woman loved “this house” not this style of house.

“Hudson,” she said slowly, hardly daring to believe. “Who bought the house?”

He kept talking, hands casually in his pockets, like she hadn’t spoken.

“He had a whole plan, this guy. He saw the listing early one morning, since this woman he loves so much isn’t as early a riser as he is.” He shot her a wink. “As soon as he saw it though, the guy knew what he had to do. So he told a teeny tiny fib.”

Lori’s heart was racing. She played along. “What was the fib?”

“I’m glad you asked.” Hudson was grinning now, as broadly as she’d ever seen. “He told her he was going for a run.”

“But he wasn’t?”

“No, woman!” He pretended to be shocked. “It was winter! This guy, he’s not a spring chicken anymore. He’s not going to risk breaking a hip! No, he only said he was going for a run, when what he did was secretly call his employees… and the woman’s employees. He told them he was going to do something really romantic, grand gesture style.”

Lori huffed out a laugh. She would be having a word with her employees, assuming this went where she thought it was going.

“Oh, yeah?” she prodded. “And what was that?”

Now Hudson rolled his eyes, although he didn’t look truly irritated. “Well, he was supposed to have it ready in time to ask the woman to marry him, but there was a whole mess with the paperwork and then… well, the guy got a little impatient about the proposal thing, if I tell you the truth. Couldn’t wait to ask the most wonderful woman he knew to marry him.”

“It happens,” she said, her voice thick with emotion. “And I hear their proposal was perfect.”

“Both of them were perfect, actually,” he said. “And despite the delay, this was perfect too. So the guy brought the beautiful, wonderful woman, the woman he loved with all his heart, to this place and he told her that he knows she loves this house. And he knows she likes her current house too, so if she doesn’t want to move, that’s okay. Honestly, the resale value on a property like this can’t be beat,” he added in an aside because, no matter what, they were still both realtors. “But he wanted to do this to show her that he wants her to have everything she longs for in life, and that he’ll do whatever is in his power to make sure she gets it.”

Lori was crying in earnest now, so happy that she couldn’t even find words. She compromised by throwing her arm around her husband-to-be’s neck and planting a kiss on him that shared all her emotions better than words ever could.

When they separated, he reached down and brushed away her lingering tears with the pad of his thumb. “You like it?” he asked.

“Are you crazy? I love it.” She stole another kiss. “And I love you.” She looked around at the empty space, her mind racing even more furiously now with design ideas. “This was really romantic, you know that?”

He brushed an imaginary piece of fluff off his shoulders. “I had some idea,” he said playfully. “And you haven’t even heard the best part.”

Her eyes went wide. “There’s a better part than this?”

“Yeah. Because we’re going to be selling two houses and only buying one, which means we’ll have a great renovation budget to decorate however you want. I know you have a dream bathroom you’ve always imagined. We can make that a reality.”

Lori clasped her hands over her heart. “Hudson Boone, you really get me, don’t you?”

He chuckled right up until she swallowed the sound with a kiss.

When they pulled apart after another minute or two of showing how excited they really were about their new life together, Lori glanced at Hudson’s watch and gasped.

“Oh, shoot,” she said. “We better run, or else we’re going to be awfully late to Marty’s.”

“Oh no, we got carried away!” Hudson exclaimed. “Can’t keep people with a baby waiting. Come on.”

Giddy with happiness, they rushed back to the car and made the short drive to Marty and Wyatt’s house. They pulled their car behind Darla and Rick’s, grabbing the cake they’d brought before letting themselves inside, as Marty had instructed. Doorbells, she’d told them, were a big no-no at the Jameson house these days, since she would be forced to hold an eternal grudge against anyone who woke up Trevor.

When they went inside, however, Lori found that her grandson was awake and snuggling happily against his aunt Darla’s shoulder.

“Is it normal to want to just sniff his sweet little baby head?” Darla was asking Marty. “Because I really just want to sniff him.”

“If it’s weird, I’m weird too,” Marty said, smiling at the pair with a mother’s fondness. “He just smells so cuddly . Oh, hey, Mom! Hey, Hudson!”

“Hey, baby, other baby, and even tinier baby,” Lori greeted, pressing a kiss on each of Marty, Darla, and Trevor’s heads in turn. “Sorry we’re late.”

Marty waved a hand. “Oh, no, you’re good. I just finished feeding Trev like two minutes ago. Rick and Wyatt are getting everything set out. Dar and I were just having some sister time.”

“And nephew,” Darla cooed to Trevor. “Yes, we didn’t forget you, little buddy.”

“We never could,” Lori agreed, swooping in to get her own turn for baby cuddles, while Darla made a joking sound of protest.

Shortly after, the men called from the kitchen that everything was ready, and they all settled in around the table. Trevor, still too small for a proper highchair, was settled into his bouncer on the floor, where he made halfhearted grabs at the colorful toys that dangled just out of reach. Plates were passed around and drinks poured, but before they could properly dig in, Darla cleared her throat and stood.

Rick grinned up at her, reaching out to squeeze her hand. For the second time that evening, Lori’s senses prickled, and she held herself back from hoping for too much, too soon.

“So,” Darla said, looking giggly and nervous. “I know it’s a bit soon, but we just couldn’t wait to tell you all… the IVF worked! I am so happy to announce that you’re looking at a woman who is nine weeks pregnant!”

The whoop that came out of Lori’s mouth was so startlingly loud that everyone paused, right on the cusp of cheering, and looked at her for a moment, even Trevor.

Lori, however, only had eyes for her elder daughter. “I’m going to be a grandmother again!” she cheered, and everyone else joined suit. Marty jumped to her feet only a moment behind their mom, and the three women squished into a big, messy hug. Darla was practically aglow with happiness.

“Congratulations, sis,” Marty said into Darla’s curls. “I’m so happy that we’re going to get to do this crazy parenthood thing together.”

“Me too,” Darla said, while Wyatt leaned over to clap Rick affectionately on the shoulder. “Part of me can hardly believe it’s real yet though.”

“Oh, yeah, that’s normal,” Marty said. “It doesn’t feel real and then wham it feels really real.”

“Like when you’re up at two in the morning?” Darla asked with a laugh.

“Yeah, exactly,” Marty confirmed. “Anyway, try to have a boy so I can give you hand-me-downs. Trevor is already too big for so many things.”

“Excuse you,” Lori scoffed. “Try to have a girl so I can buy cute girl outfits,” she told Darla. “I already have a grandson to buy cute boy clothes for. I’d like to diversify.”

“I’m pretty sure it doesn’t work that way.” Darla chuckled.

Marty stuck out her tongue. “Yeah, that’s why we said try. ”

“And either way, one of us will get our wish,” Lori added reasonably.

After hugs and kisses and congratulations were shared all around, the family settled back into their seats to enjoy their meal. Marty felt confident that it tasted even more delicious because of her happiness. She couldn’t keep the happy smile off her face as she thought of all the wonderful memories that would be made in the years ahead. When nobody could eat another bite and they’d scraped their plates clean of the last bits of frosting from the decadent chocolate cake Hudson had brought, Marty and Darla began to clean up, shooing off all other offers of help.

They stood side by side at the kitchen sink, Marty washing, Darla drying, and it made Marty smile, thinking of all the times they’d done this as teenagers. Grandma Abby had been a big believer in “the cook doesn’t clean,” which, she’d always told her granddaughters with a wink, was why she’d gotten so good at cooking in the first place.

Apparently, Darla was thinking along the same lines, because she said, “Remember how every time we had a fight, Grandma Abby would cook something that made like a million dishes?”

“And then we’d make up somewhere around halfway through, because we’d decide that we were united against her efforts to torture us?”

“Yes, exactly!” Darla agreed with a chuckle. “I don’t think we appreciated it at the time, but Grandma Abby was sort of a genius.”

“You know,” Marty said slyly, “we can totally make Trevor and your baby do the same thing whenever they argue as teenagers.”

Darla pressed a hand to her still flat stomach. “Oh my goodness, it’s crazy to think that they’ll be teenagers one day!”

“Not to be a total cliché, but I have a feeling it’s going to come a lot sooner than we think,” Marty added. She let her next dish wait for a moment, pausing to wrap her arms around her sister’s shoulder. Darla instantly dropped her dish towel and mirrored the gesture. “I’m so happy we’re going to get to take all the steps along the way together.”

“Me too, baby sis,” Darla said. “I love you lots.”

“I love you too… and I’m not a baby!”

They both laughed as Marty echoed the words that she’d said to Darla a million times when they were younger… words that, Marty was sure, Darla’s baby would say a million times to Trevor too. And then, maybe, one day, those two babies would grow up and stand side by side, washing up after a good family meal, and wonder how they’d managed to have so many good memories already and dream about the memories yet to come.

Marty squeezed her sister tighter. She couldn’t wait. She planned to soak in every minute.